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WGEA
Glossary and
Writing Style Guide
Version: November 2024
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Contents
Overview
3
Style Guide
4
WGEA-specific guidance
5
Word bank and glossary
8
Further reading
25
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Overview
Introduction
WGEA’s Glossary & Style Guide is for all WGEA staff who write, edit or approve the Agency’s
internal and external content. It sets out a consistent and unified approach to WGEA’s internal and
external communications.
Consistent use of terminology, messaging, tone of voice and grammar is essential to build and
retain WGEA’s credibility as a trusted national authority in workplace gender equality, to avoid
confusing our audiences, and to foster a shared understanding of the issue among stakeholders.
WGEA employees should refer to this guide in the development of all written content.
How to request an update
This Glossary & Style Guide is produced and managed by WGEA’s Communications & Campaigns
team. It is a living document that will be continually updated.
All WGEA teams are invited to submit requests to update advice and terminology in this guide to
make sure content is accurate and framed to deliver communications that will resonate and
connect with our audiences.
Please contact the Communications & Campaigns team at
xxxxx.xxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx to
request any changes to the Glossary & Style Guide.
Using this Glossary & Style Guide
WGEA staff should use this guide to write, edit, review or approve all internal or external
communications or documents that we produce, including:
• research papers
• parliamentary submissions or policy documents
• Senate Estimates briefs
• employer reporting resources
• governance documents (e.g. Annual Report, Progress Report, Corporate Plan, internal
WGEA policy and procedure documents)
• digital communications
• stakeholder engagement (e.g. subscriber newsletter)
• media statements
• forms
• technical and specialist content.
Sources and references
WGEA uses th
e Australian Government Style Manual for decisions about grammar, formatting and
for advice o
n accessible and inclusive content. All Agency content must comply wi
th Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.
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Style Guide
Tone of voice
Tone of voice influences the way that readers engage with written content. Poor use of this
technique may cause a reader to switch off or to misinterpret the meaning of your writing. But,
used well, it is a powerful tool to build trust and to influence and motivate readers to engage with
ideas and information.
Maintaining a clear and consistent tone of voice is important because it helps establish WGEA’s
personality and creates a strong ‘verbal’ identity. Some headline principles to refer to are detailed
below.
Our tone of voice is:
•
accessible
•
inclusive
•
informed
•
collaborative
•
inspiring.
Reinforce this tone of voice in the structure of your written communications.
Write in plain English. Use short words and sentences.
Further:
• use language that’s informative an
d inclusive
• express ideas and information using everyday words. Avoid jargon
• avoid cliches, buzzwords and ‘blinking words’. These phrases and terms might flow easily
onto the page, but often they mean very little to your audience and are open to
misinterpretation (i.e. see advice for ‘work-life balance’ in the
Common words section of
this guide)
• where appropriate, always use contractions (i.e. ‘don’t’, ‘you’re’ or ‘we’re’)
• be mindful of clarity. Focus on
one idea or concept in each sentence and keep it as brief as
possible without compromising meaning or the accuracy of the communications.
Grammar and punctuation
WGEA follows conventions set out in the
APS Style Guide for the use of grammar and punctuation.
Sentences should be in plain language and no longer than 25 words. Too much punctuation makes
text crowded and difficult to read. If a sentence has a lot of punctuation marks, it might be a sign
that the sentence is too long or complex. Try to rewrite into
shorter, clearer sentences. Avoid beginning sentences with a string of numbers and dates. The string of numbers can be
confusing.
The APS Style Guide provides tips on the correct use of punctuation, including:
•
Commas: Commas separate parts of a sentence so the meaning is clear. Sentence
structure determines their correct use
•
Semi-colons: Should only be used sparingly and should never be used at the end of bullet or
numbered lists. Short, simple sentences are easier to read. Overusing semicolons makes
writing more difficult to understand
•
Quotation marks: Double quotation marks aren’t Australian Government style. Use them
only for quotations within quotations.
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Other guidance
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Word bank and glossary
About this guide
This glossary provides an overview of the key terms, phrases and common words used in
communications created for internal or external use by WGEA.
WGEA employees should use it as a guide and checklist when communicating and in the process
of developing written materials.
This section includes:
• common words
• useful terms and phrases
• other useful tips for Agency communications
• standard definitions (a list of agreed definitions for WGEA-specific terms i.e. terms that are
specific to
• further reading.
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Common words
Word
Rule
advisor
Not adviser
‘any’ or ‘a’ woman
Not ‘a single woman’ e.g. not ‘60% of companies don’t have a single
woman on their board.’ Instead, say ‘60% of companies don’t have any
women on their board.’
Australian OR Federal
Refer to the national government of Australia as the Australian or
Government
Federal Government. Use an initial capital for both words only when
they occur together.
Do not use Commonwealth Government. The correct term is
Commonwealth of Australia.
Note: Please also see ‘Commonwealth public sector’
Board
Instead of referring to ‘board’ use the term ‘the Board’.
Capitalise the ‘B’ of ‘Board’ to clearly define its usage as a noun when
referring to a specific Board.
childcare
One word (except when referring to the act of undertaking child care)
Commonwealth public Only capitalise the ‘C’
sector
Commonwealth
Do not capitalise the ‘e’ for entities or ‘c’ for companies when using
entities and companies these words to describe a ‘Commonwealth entity’ or a ‘Commonwealth
company’.
This is in line with the form used on th
e PGPA Flipchart.
Corporate
Capitalise the ‘C’ for Corporate and Commonwealth. Do not capitalise
Commonwealth entity
the ‘e’ for entity.
dataset
Do not use the term ‘dataset’ to refer to the information WGEA collects
from employers. Instead, always use the term ‘results’ or information.
Remember they are people, not numbers.
When using the term generally to describe a set of numbers, ‘dataset’
should be one word (i.e. not ‘data set’)
e.g.
Do not use ‘e.g.’ and ‘i.e.’ interchangeably – they mean different things.
‘E.g.’ means
exempli gratia or ‘for example’. It is used to introduce
examples and illustrate a statement.
The terms ‘i.e.’ and ‘e.g.’ need full stops after each letter. This helps
screen readers announce them. See th
e APS Style Guide webpage on
‘Latin shortened forms’ for more advice on this.
e-learning
Should be hyphenated. Not ‘elearning’
email
One word. Not hyphenated e.g. ‘e-mail’
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Word
Rule
‘employees’ and
Use employees and employers. Avoid jargon in external
‘employers’
communications when referring to relevant employers required to
report to WGEA under the Act. Following the first reference, it’s
acceptable to drop the word ‘relevant’ and refer to ‘employers.’
Use ‘employers’, not ‘customers’, ‘clients’ or ‘staff’.
Use ‘employee’ in all communications, particularly formal reports and
papers. ‘Worker’ is acceptable only in informal communications. In
general, avoid the term ‘organisations’ unless absolutely necessary as
a substitute.
equal pay
Use the phrase ‘equal pay’. Do not use the phrase ‘pay equity’
evidence-informed
Use the phrase ‘evidence-informed’ instead of ‘evidence-based’
Federal Parliament
Both ‘F’ and ‘P’ should be capitalised
full-time
Hyphenate this term. Not ‘full time’ or ‘fulltime’
gender-balanced
A workforce or a workplace is considered to have achieved ‘gender-
balance’ when it is composed at least 40% of women and 40% of men.
gender bias
Two words. Do not hyphenate
gender pay gap
Refer to the ‘gender pay gap’, not the ‘gender
wage gap’. Never use an
abbreviation (e.g. GPG unless preparing Senate Estimates briefs)
help
NOT ‘to assist’
‘how to’ guide
Not how-to guide or ‘how-to’ guide
i.e.
Do not use ‘e.g.’ and ‘i.e.’ interchangeably – they mean different things.
‘i.e.’ means
id est or ‘that is’. It is used to clarify the statement before it.
The terms ‘i.e.’ and ‘e.g.’ need full stops after each letter. This helps
screen readers announce them. See th
e APS Style Guide webpage on
‘Latin shortened forms’ for more advice on this.
mixed-gender
Do not use the term ‘mixed-gender’ to identify an industry. Instead,
always use the term (hyphenated) ‘gender-balanced’.
Please see above definition for ‘gender-balanced’ for more on this.
named as non-
The correct name fo
r the list WGEA publishes naming relevant
compliant list
employers who did not submit a gender equality report on time.
The word ‘named’ is important as not all employers who failed to
submit a report on time are named by the Agency. For this reason, do
not shorten to ‘non-compliant list.’
When referring to the employers named on this list always use the
phrase ‘named as non-compliant.’
Non-corporate
Capitalise the ‘N’ but not the ‘c’ in Non-corporate. Capitalise the ‘C’ for
Commonwealth entity
Commonwealth. Do not capitalise the ‘e’ for entity.
Parliament of Australia Do not use. See ‘Federal Parliament’
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Word
Rule
part-time
Hyphenate use of this term. Not ‘part time’ worker or ‘parttime’
pay / remuneration /
Can be used interchangeably depending on the audience.
earnings
Remuneration should be used for business and regulatory audiences,
pay/earnings for general public.
Check spel ing for remuneration is correct. Renumeration is a word so it
will not come up on spell check.
peers
Use instead of ‘competitors’
per cent
Spelled as two words. The use of the symbol is preferred in most
instances and should be used alongside a numerical value.
Always quote percentage values to one decimal place, except in
instances where the decimal place is zero.
percentage points
Per cent means one hundredth of something. Percentage point is used
when comparing percentages to one another.
For example, ‘the gender pay gap for 2022 is 22.8%. Between 2014 and
2022, the gender pay gap fell by 5.8 percentage points.’
When appropriate, abbreviate to ‘pp’. Do not use ‘p.p.’
Pty Ltd
Avoid jargon in communications unless absolutely necessary for
accuracy or clarity. Avoid using ‘Pty Ltd’ in all forms, including
‘Proprietary. Ltd.’ or ‘Pty Limited’
reporting organisation
Do not use the phrase ‘reporting organisation’ when referring to the
employers that report to WGEA. Instead, identify them as ‘relevant
employers’ in the first instance. The word ‘relevant’ may be dropped
after the first use to identify these organisations as ‘employers’.
results
Always refer to the information that WGEA collects from employers as
‘results’. (i.e. ‘WGEA’s results’, never ‘WGEA’s dataset’)
roadmap
One word – not two (i.e. not road map)
underpaid
Do not hyphenate (i.e. do not use ‘under-paid’)
under-representation
Ensure to hyphenate this term (i.e. not ‘underrepresentation’)
under-represented
Ensure to hyphenate this term (i.e. not ‘underrepresented’)
undervaluation
Do not hyphenate (i.e. not ‘under-valuation’)
undervalued
Do not hyphenate (i.e. not ‘under-valued’)
utilised
Use the word ‘used’ instead
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Word
Rule
WGEA (the Agency)
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency
In formal communications, use the acronym after the first full mention
of the Agency. Indicate this is the intention with the clarifying phrase:
the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). Once you have clarified
this term all subsequent references should be ‘the Agency’ or ‘WGEA’.
Exceptions for digital communications: Use ‘WGEA’ in headlines for
pages on the website. Digital and social media should use ‘WGEA’,
unless there’s a need to use the term ‘the Agency’.
women and men
Don’t say ‘male and female’.
The only exception to this is when referring to the composition of a
workforce where the terms ‘male-dominated’, ‘female-dominated’ and
‘gender-balanced’ may be used.
See the section for
Useful Terms & Phrases for definitions of each of
these terms.
May be used instead of ‘female-dominated’ or ‘male-dominated’ in
formal WGEA research papers and documents.
‘women-dominated’
However, do not use them interchangeably. Choose one set of terms
and ‘men-dominated’
(either women-dominated / men-dominated OR female-dominated /
male-dominated) and use the terms consistently throughout the
document.
work-life balance
This is a blinking word which means that it’s more confusing, than
descriptive.
This phrase is frequently used in conversation, but is subjective and
open to wide interpretation which means it may be misunderstood.
Never use this phrase in WGEA communications. Be clear and concise
in all communications.
Write the words zero
Spell out the name of the number. Do not use numerals 0 and 1.
and one
WGEA's use of numerals aligns with th
e APS Style Guide advice on
‘Choosing numerals or words’. This webpage also provides advice on
exceptions to the rule.
See ‘Appendix 1’ for more advice on use of numbers.
Use numerals for
Always use numerals. Don’t spell out the name of the number.
2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9
More advice on th
e APS Style Guide webpage ‘Choosing numerals or
words’.
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Useful terms and phrases
Term/phrase
Rule
100 or more
In reference to relevant employers that are required to report to WGEA
employees
under the
Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012. By using this clarifying
statement, it defines that WGEA communications apply to employers
with
100 or more employees and avoids confusion for small business.
Write ‘100 or more’, never ‘more than 100.’
See ‘relevant employer’ in the section for
‘Standard definitions’ for
more guidance.
2021 Review of the
In reference to the
2021 Review of the Workplace Gender Equality
WGE Act, the 2021
Act 2012
WGEA Review or
WGEA Review
500 or more
In reference to designated relevant employers covered in
employees
Recommendation 3.1a of the 2021 Review.
This recommendation will require relevant employers with 500 or more
employees (designated relevant employers) to commit to, achieve, and
report to WGEA on measurable targets to improve gender equality in
their workplace against 3 of the 6 GEIs.
‘Actions taken to
Note that ‘Actions’ is always plural, not one singular action and that we
prevent sexual
do not say
‘grounds’. This is a legal term and is what is in the Act.
harassment,
The term ‘work-related sexual harassment’ should be used to shorten
harassment on the
this phrase.
ground of sex or
discrimination in the
workplace’
annualised full-time
Do not use ‘full-time equivalent annual remuneration’ when discussing
equivalent earnings
how WGEA calculates the gender pay gap.
Instead say:
WGEA’s gender pay gap calculation includes full-time, part-
time and casual employees (converted into annualised full-time
equivalent earnings).
Appendix 1
Use the numerical value when labelling the Appendix. Do not spell out
the number (i.e. ‘1’ not ‘One’)
Australian and New
Note that each word has the first letter capitalised, except ‘and’ and ‘of’
Zealand Standard
Classification of
Occupations
(ANZSCO)
Australian and New
Note that each word has the first letter capitalised, except ‘and’
Zealand Standard
Industrial
Classification
(ANZSIC)
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Term/phrase
Rule
‘average woman’,
Avoid using these terms to shorten the explanation of gender pay gaps.
‘average man’
Instead, phrase it similar to: ‘on average, women earn XX cents for
every $1 a man earns’.
Base salary average
This is the correct form of words to use when describing what WGEA
gender pay gap / total
will publish for employers relating to their
average gender pay gap
remuneration average
gender pay gap
Base salary median
This is the correct form of words to use when describing what WGEA
gender pay gap / total
will publish for employers relating to their
median gender pay gap
remuneration median
gender pay gap
CEO, Head of Business, Casual Manager and Head of Business remuneration needs to be
and Casual Manager
included with CEO remuneration. It’s okay to short-hand to CEO
remuneration
remuneration after the first mention of all three. Note the capitalisation
on these roles.
designated relevant
This term is specific to Recommendation 3.1a of the WGEA Review
employer
(WGEA target setting).
This is the term for relevant employers with 500 or more employees
that will be required to commit to, achieve, and report to WGEA on
measurable genuine targets to improve gender equality in their
workplace against 3 of the 6 GEIs.
employee
Use the term ‘employee organisations’. Do not use the term ‘unions’
organisations
‘employer/s’ or ‘relevant Use the term ‘employers’ when referring to those required to report to
employer/s’
WGEA. Only use ‘organisation’ where absolutely necessary.
Avoid the use of these terms: ‘business’, ‘companies’ or ‘firms’. This is
because a range of entities, such as educational institutions, charities
and non-public sector organisations, report to WGEA.
employer gender pay
Instead of ‘employer level gender pay gaps.’ Never use abbreviations
gaps
(e.g. GPG) always spell out the words in full.
Note: The only exception to this is in briefing documents for Senate
Estimates when the abbreviation ‘GPG’ should be used.
Employer Statement
When referring to the voluntary statement employers can provide to
explain their gender pay gap
‘Employers can provide To describe the ‘Employer Statement’
any context or insights This is the document containing the context that employers can
related to their gender
provide alongside their employer gender pay gap published on WGEA’s
pay gap and actions
Data Explorer.
they are taking to
address it’
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Term/phrase
Rule
‘Employers with 500 or Not ‘for all’ or ‘covering’
more employees must
have a policy or
strategy for each of the
6 gender equality
indicators’
‘enhancements’ or
Do not use the word ‘changes’ when describing the additional
‘expansion’ to
measures of the gender pay gap and data points on employee
publishing employer
remuneration that WGEA will publish at the second round of employer
gender pay gaps
gender pay gaps.
Instead, use the terms ‘expansion’ or ‘enhancement’
‘Executive Summary’
Executive Summary has no ‘report’ on the end. Remember to capitalise.
and ‘Industry
Always Industry Benchmark Report.
NEVER Industry Benchmark
Benchmark Report’
Reports with an ‘s’ on the end.
female-dominated /
WGEA classifies industries where 60% or more of the employees in the
women-dominated
workforce are women as ‘female-dominated’ or ‘women-dominated’
Note: To maintain consistency, please only use one of these terms in a
document. Do not use them interchangeably. Women-dominated is the
preference.
flexible working
Not flexible ‘work’ arrangements
arrangements
gender composition
Use these terms when talking about remuneration quartiles.
and average
Note: In February 2024, WGEA only published employer gender pay
remuneration per pay
gaps by
gender composition per pay quartile. At the second round of
quartile
publishing, WGEA will publish
gender composition and average
remuneration per pay quartile.
gender equality
Use capitals only when referring to the Legislative Instrument. No
indicators
capitals for general use
Always spell out the first reference in full. After that point, it may be
abbreviated to ‘GEI’ or ‘GEIs’. Note the lower case ‘s’ in the plural
abbreviation.
When referencing a specific GEI, do not add a space between the letters
and number (i.e. GEI3, not GEI 3)
Gender Equality
Where possible use the term Gender Equality Reporting to distinguish
Reporting
from end of year financial reporting. Do not call it ‘compliance
reporting.’
Ensure Gender Equality Reporting is capitalised.
Gender Equality
No hyphenation
Standards
Do not call them ‘minimum standards’ as they have been renamed
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Term/phrase
Rule
male-dominated / men- WGEA classifies industries where 60% or more of the employees in the
dominated
workforce are men as ‘male-dominated’ / ‘men-dominated’
Note: To maintain consistency, please only use one of these terms in a
document. Do not use them interchangeably. Men-dominated is the
preference.
‘mandatory’ reporting
Avoid using the term ‘mandatory’ in reference to the requirement of
or ‘required’ reporting
private sector or Commonwealth public sector employers with 100 or
more employees to report to WGEA. Reduce use of the term ‘required’,
where possible. Instead, use phrasing similar to: ‘…employers who
reported to WGEA…’
new reporting
Always say
new reporting questions not
more mandatory reporting
questions
questions
‘non-compliant’ and
Use of these terms should use hyphenation
‘non-compliance’
‘non-public sector’ or
Avoid jargon whenever possible. Do not use the term ‘non-public sector’
‘private sector’
when referring to employers who must report to WGEA. Instead, refer to
employers
‘private sector’ employers
pay gap analysis
Instead of ‘pay gap audit’ or ‘compensation analysis’ use the terms ‘pay
gap analysis’ or ‘gender pay gap analysis’
When using in a sentence, use words similar to employers ‘analysing
their payroll’
‘public service’ or
The terms ‘public service’ and the ‘public sector’ are not
‘public sector’
interchangeable.
In law, the Australian Public Service (APS) comprises only those
entities employing staff under th
e Public Service Act 1999. The public
sector includes public service and non-public service entities (entities
that are not covered by the APSC).
The Parliament of Australia defines the Australian government public
sector in the
Parliamentary Library Briefing Book.
publishing gender pay
Instead of ‘gender pay gap transparency.’ Avoid use of the word
gaps
transparency
publishing employer
Add the word
employer when speaking specifically about employer
gender pay gaps
gender pay gaps. WGEA will publish the 2024 employer gender pay
gaps in early 2025.
Add ‘Commonwealth public sector’ when specifically speaking about
employer gender pay gaps for Commonwealth public sector employers.
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Term/phrase
Rule
relevant employer
Never ‘individual company ABN’ or ‘company ABN’. This is because
employers with multiple businesses that have similar gender equality
policies can choose to register multiple ABNs to report as a group.
Therefore, not all employers are an ‘individual’ ABN.
See the ‘list of agreed definitions’ below for WGEA’s definition of a
‘relevant employer’
reporting period
Always refer to both years an employer’s report relates to when
(reference to specific
describing
private sector reporting.
year i.e. ‘2022-23
Always hyphenate the years. Never use a forward slash (i.e. /) between
reporting’)
years. The second year is referenced by its last two figures only.
reporting resources
Use concise terminology instead of saying ‘reporting-related’ resources
(an example of a reporting resource is
WGEA’s Reporting Guide in the
Employer Portal)
report submission
Not ‘reporting’ submission period
period
standalone company
A standalone company is a single ABN employer that has no parent
entity and no subsidiaries.
submission group
Some corporate groups with multiple businesses choose to report to
WGEA as a ‘submission group’.
Note that submission group cannot be used interchangeably with
‘corporate group’.
When defining a ‘submission group’ use the words:
‘Most companies
reporting to WGEA are single businesses. However, a proportion are
corporate groups with multiple businesses. If some, or all, of a corporate
group’s subsidiaries have similar gender equality policies and strategies,
these employers can report to WGEA as a ‘submission group’.’
‘target range’ or
Do not say ‘neutral’ gender pay gap. A gender pay gap result within and
‘optimal’ gender pay
including 5% to -5% should be described as a ‘target range’ or ‘optimal’
gap within and
gender pay gap. In formal documents and charts the numerical values
including +/-5%
may abbreviated to ‘within and including +/-5%’.
It should be defined as:
‘A gender pay gap within and including +/-5%
allows for normal business fluctuations and employee movements, while
signifying that an employer has a strong focus on gender equality and is
taking action to show that there is gender equality in the organisation.’
target setting OR
Use the term ‘target setting’, not ‘setting targets’, when referring to
setting targets
Recommendation 3.1a o
f the WGEA Review. The term ‘setting targets’ should be use when discussing actions
employers can take to improve gender equality in their organisation.
(e.g. organisational KPIs or a measurable objective for the proportion
of women in leadership).
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Term/phrase
Rule
an employer’s self-
Referring to employer gender pay gaps not calculated by WGEA
calculated gender pay
gap
From 1 April 2024
When referring to what employers will report to WGEA in the 2023-24
reporting period
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Other useful tips for Agency communications
Rule
‘generous’ paid
DO NOT use the term ‘generous’ in relation to employer’s offering
parental leave
parental leave.
Parental leave is not ‘generous.’ It’s not charity, it is an industrial
provision designed recompensate parents for time away from work for
care. Either refrain from using a qualifier or perhaps ‘comprehensive
access to’.
Hyperlinks
Always provide hyperlinks in-text. Do not use the URL.
Write link text that makes the destination clear. Links like ‘click here’ or
‘more information’ don’t give the user any information about the
destination. Match the content on the linked page so the user knows
they have reached the right place.
More guidance is available und
er ‘Links’ in the APS Style Manual.
‘legislative reforms’ or Use ‘legislative reforms,’ never just ‘The Act’ on its own. Legislative
‘The Act together with Instruments should be capitalised
the remade
Legislative
Instruments’.
‘Men are less likely
Be mindful of language when writing about men’s uptake of parental
than women to take
leave. The ‘13%’ is NOT the per cent of
men who take paid parental
primary carer’s leave.
leave.
Women account for
The correct phrase is:
‘13% of paid parental leave taken is by men.’
87% of all paid
primary carer’s leave
Table 14 of WGEA’s 2022 Gender Equality Scorecard is an example
taken and men
of the correct use of terms that relate to this measure of gender
account for 13%.’
equality.
‘On average, women
Use simple terms to reflect the cost of the gender pay gap. Where
earn XX cents for
appropriate, use dollars to illustrate the financial implications, rather
every $1 a man earns.’ than the per cent figure.
E.g. In 2023, a gender pay gap of 21.7% means that
‘on average, women
earn 78 cents for every $1 a man earns. Over a year, that adds up to a
difference of $26,400.’
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Rule
Parliamentary
For naming conventions:
processes
• The
Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 should be ‘the
Act’
• The
Workplace Gender Equality (Closing the Gender Pay
Gap) Act 2023 should be ‘the amending Act’
A
Bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. A Bill
becomes a law if it is passed in identical form by both the House of
Representatives and the Senate, and given Royal Assent by the
Governor-General. It is then known as an
Act of Parliament.
Never refer to the ‘passage of a Bill’. Once a Bill is passed, use the term
‘passage of an/the Act’.
The Australian Senate has
further advice on the passage of
legislation and the correct use of terminology related to this process.
‘The first publication of This is the correct language for when and how WGEA will publish
Commonwealth public Commonwealth public sector employer gender pay gaps.
sector employer
Note that this information is from the second year of public sector
gender pay gaps in
reporting in 2024. This refers to gender equality reports submitted
early 2025 will be
between 1 September to 31 October 2024. These reports relate to the
based on employer
workforce in the 2023 calendar year (between 1 January 2023-31
reports for the period
December 2023).
1 January to 31
December 2023.’
‘The gender pay gap is When describing the gender pay gap.
the difference in
Note this definition includes a reference to ‘average or median’. This is
average or median
deliberate because of how WGEA publishes employer gender pay gaps.
earnings between
women and men in the
workforce.’
‘WGEA published
This is the correct language for when WGEA will publish employer
private sector
gender pay gaps. Note that we say ‘reporting period’, not ‘reporting’.
employer gender pay
As WGEA will publish results for the private sector and public sector at
gaps for the first time
different times each year, be as specific as possible. Note the date that
in February 2024. This
employer gender pay gaps were published to distinguish between
covered the 2022-23
WGEA’s publication of private sector and public sector results.
reporting period.’
‘WGEA will publish the
When explaining the second round of private sector employer gender
second round of
pay gaps.
private sector
Do not use the word ‘changes’ when describing the additional
employer gender pay
measures that WGEA will publish. Instead, describe these as
gaps in early 2025.
‘expansions’ or ‘enhancements.’
This will include an
expansion of the data
published.’
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Rule
Work
Don’t over-promise! We support and help employers to do it – we don’t
towards/progress
do it ourselves.
towards closing the
gender pay gap…
OR …help accelerate
employer action to
close the gender pay
gap.
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Standard definitions
Standard
Agreed definition
definitions
average gender pay gap The average gender pay gap is calculated by adding up the wages of all
employees and dividing that number by the number of employees.
The average gender pay gap is a good measure of the collective
remuneration of a group. As the average is skewed by exceptionally high
or low salaries, it will show if earnings are particularly concentrated for
one gender, for example, more men in higher earning positions.
equal pay
Use the definition: ‘Equal pay is where employees are paid the same for
performing the same work or different work of equal or comparable
value. In Australia, this has been a legal requirement since 1969.’
Refer to ‘employees’, do not use the terms ‘women’ and ‘men’ or discuss
in terms of ‘roles’. This
definition aligns with Fair Work Australia. Further
reading is available on the FWA website.
Executive Summary
The Executive Summary sets out the key results from an employer’s
submission to WGEA’s annual Gender Equality Reporting. This Summary
can help employers understand and analyse the current state of gender
equality in their organisation.
gender composition and This is the proportion of women and men in an organisation and the
average remuneration average total remuneration for each pay quartile.
per pay quartile
Pay quartiles divide the women and men who work at an organisation
into four groups, starting with the highest paid people in an organisation
down to the lowest paid. We then indicate the average total remuneration
per pay quartile.
gender pay gap
The gender pay gap is the difference in the average or median earnings
between women and men across organisations, industries and the
workforce as a whole.
Additional words to use when it’s necessary to further define the gender
pay gap: Where one gender earns more, on average, than another, this
can point to issues with structural inequality.
It’s important to note, the gender pay gap is not the same as equal pay.
Equal pay is where employees are paid the same for performing the
same work or different work of equal or comparable value. In Australia,
this has been a legal requirement since 1969. Unequal pay can be one of
the drivers of the gender pay gap, but there are many others that should
be thoughtfully considered.
Industry Benchmark
The Industry Benchmark Report compares an employer’s results to the
Report
results of other peers. This Report helps employers understand how their
workplace compares to industry peers.
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Standard
Agreed definition
definitions
median gender pay gap A ‘median’ is the middle of a set of numbers.
A median gender pay gap is found by lining up the pay of every man in a
business in order of smallest to largest and finding the middle number in
that dataset. The same is done for the pay of women in that business. A
median employer gender pay gap is the difference between the median
of what a man is paid and the median of what a woman is paid within the
organisation.
Unlike the average, the median is not skewed by extreme values (CEO
remuneration, for example), giving us a picture of typical earnings that
exist within an organisation.
‘relevant employer’
Under the Act, employers with 100 or more employees are ‘relevant
(private sector)
employers’ and are required to report to WGEA. However, the Act also
allows for fluctuations in the workforce. This means that employers must
continue to submit a gender equality report to WGEA until their workforce
falls below 80 employees.
A ‘relevant employer’ can be a standalone company, a corporate group,
or a subsidiary of a corporate group. An employer’s ABN is used to
determine the number of employees.
‘relevant employer’
Commonwealth public sector employers with 100 or more employees are
(Commonwealth public required to report to WGEA. The legislation defines a relevant employer
sector)
according to the categories under th
e Public Governance, Performance
and Accountability Act (PGPA Act).
[Note: Additional words below for use in formal communications when a
specific definition is required].
This includes the following employer types:
Corporate entity: A Corporate entity is a body corporate that has a
separate legal personality from the Commonwealth and can act in its
own right exercising certain legal rights such as entering into contracts
and owning property.
Non-corporate entity: Non-corporate Commonwealth entities are legally
and financially part of the Commonwealth.
Company: Commonwealth companies are companies that are
established under the Commonwealth under the Corporations Act 2001
and are wholly controlled by the Commonwealth.
Th
e PGPA flip chart provides a list of these employers.
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Standard
Agreed definition
definitions
a gender pay gap in the We recognise that the gender pay gap is a good proxy but not a perfect
target range within and measure of gender equality and the gender make up of a company
including +/-5%
fluctuates.
A gender pay gap within and including +/-5% allows for normal business
fluctuations and employee movements, while signifying that an employer
has a strong focus on gender equality and is taking action to show that
there is gender equality in the organisation.
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Further reading
Advice for written communications
• APS Style Guide
www.stylemanual.gov.au • Fair Work Australi
a definition of ‘equal pay’
• WGEA’s brand guidelines: Contact Azelia Maynard, Design & Communications Adviser,
at xxxxxx.xxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
• APS advice fo
r accessible and inclusive content
• For more advice on making content accessible, refer directly to th
e Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines.
Essential reading
WGEA’s most recent research reports and communications guides
WGEA resources
• WGEA website
• explore gender equality outcomes for industries, industry sub-divisions, groups of
employers by size and individual employers on th
e WGEA Data Explorer
• curren
t private sector Gender Equality Scorecard (released November 2024)
• curren
t Commonwealth public sector Gender Equality Scorecard (released June 2024)
• curren
t Employer Gender Pay Gaps Snapshot (released February 2024)
• read more about the drivers of the gender pay gap and the economic cost to the
Australian economy in
She’s Price(d)less (released July 2022)
• final report of th
e 2021 Review of the Workplace Gender Equality Act (completed
December 2021).
External resources
Australian Government’s
Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality
WGEA reporting resources
• learn about the requirements for relevant employers that report to WGEA and the
process for reporting in th
e Reporting Guide on the Employer Portal
• Private secto
r Executive Summary and Industry Benchmark Report guides
• Commonwealth public secto
r Industry Benchmark Report guide.
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